Winter Gun Blues.

Hello!  Time to talk about Firearms.  And I need some input.  So here’s MY Problem.

I live about a half-mile or so from the shores of Lake Erie, east of Cleveland, Ohio.  Every Winter, my Home gets subjected to the effects of “Lake Effect Snow.”  There aren’t that many places on the Planet that gets Lake Effect, BTW.  But what happens is that Cold Fronts come across the Great Lakes in the Winter, and as soon as it hit my Shoreline, the moisture that gets picked up and turned to Snow can Dump copious amounts on my House.  It is not unusual at all for me to get up and have to shovel a couple of feet of Snow out of my Driveway on any given Winter morning.

Now, like a lot of you that can LEGALLY Carry Concealed, it is my Habit to NOT leave my Doorway w/o a Handgun on me, even if it’s to just get the Paper.  We DO live in Heinlein’s “Crazy Years” after all.  Just check the News for proof.  But in the Winter, I can’t do my Summer Practice of carrying a .38 Snub in my Front Pocket when it’s 90 degrees in the Shade. And getting dressed in the Winter with all those extra layers make it a Pain to use an IWB holster.  So I prefer a Paddle for EDC.  But when one is throwing on a set of Winter Coveralls and grabbing the Parka just to clear the Driveway, THEN coming back in to get dressed for the day, well, you see the Picture?

What I USED to do was to put a Dan Wesson with the Two Inch Barrel attached in a Desantis Nemisis Pocket Holster and stick that in my Right Front Parka Pocket.  And I wore MilSurp Wool Glove Liners.

But I sold off the Dan Wesson a while ago, and I’ve yet to find a Suitable Replacement.  And I’m not the only one with that Problem.  OldNFO posted last year or so about finding Gloves that were Thin enough to pull the Trigger, yet wouldn’t jam the Trigger.  And I remember an old article Mas Ayoob wrote about how when he was a Cop up in N.H., he used a Sig 220 EURO Model in .45 ACP with the Mag release on the Butt.  He felt he couldn’t take the chance of having to draw his weapon and accidentally dropping the Magazine when he took his grip with Gloved Hands.

And that brings up the Dilemma.  You see, in 2014, there are LOTS of Handguns out there that are designed for Concealed Carry.  In nice Weather.  Indoors.  But try to use an LCP with Gloved Hands when it’s 20 degrees out?

Oh, and my Hand Size is 2X, so a lot of the Modern “Pocket Rockets” don’t work for ME even in August.

And since the VolksRepubliks passed their Unconstitutional Anti-Freedom Laws regarding Ammo Capacity, the price of Revolvers has Sky-Rocketed.  I mean, $450 for Smith J-Frame?  And try to find a K or L-Frame sized Two-inch Revolver, even on the Used Market.

And with all those “Glock Triggers” with the little lever in the Trigger Face, or an Articulated Trigger, well, I can see the Handgun going off while one is inserting their Finger in the Trigger Guard.  Safety First, right?  So what to do?

I’ve been thinking about maybe a Kahr in Nine or Forty, but I haven’t tried one with Winter Gloves on.  And a Baby 1911 might work, but they tend to be a little out of my Price Range.  Keep in mind, it will probably be spending most of its time in a Winter Coat Pocket., so that means I’m still having to use an Indoor Gun when the Coat is on the Hook.  But that leads to having to shift it to another location.  Think of having TWO Pistols at 4 o’clock on your body at the same time.  Now it gets Complicated.

So what I’m thinking is having an IWB or Paddle Holster set up to take the Winter Gun, but leaving it empty.  The Holster, not the Gun.  Then I’d just Transfer it from the Coat to the Waist.  But that does involve shifting a Loaded Weapon around a lot more than one would do in July.  The Four Rules apply no matter what the weather, but moving it in and out and back and forth several times a day, well, I’ve had ONE AD in my life (I’m an Honest Man!), and I don’t want another, Thank You Very Much!

So, right now, I’m at the Planning Stage, and I’d appreciate some Input.  Oh, BTW, in regards to Gloved Hands:  those of you in Free States who have an AR (and everyone SHOULD, IMHO!) might want to get one of those After-Market Trigger Guards that open up the Trigger Space so that you can use Gloves.  Can’t Hurt, might Help.  After all, the Bad Guys don’t Hibernate come October, right?  And I’ve noticed that some companies are building Lowers with extra Space in the Guard molded in.  Seems like a Good Idea to me.

So, any Ideas?  You know how to reach me.  Bubblehead Les Out.